Getting Married Will Make You Obese

Couples that live together are twice as likely to become obese than those that live separately, according to new research. Although cohabitation does result in some health benefits, like decreased cigarette smoking and lower mortality, Penny Gordon-Larsen, associate professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, found that married couples and those living together had greater weight gains than other people of the same age, and the couples had a greater risk for obesity. She said age may not be the cause of the weight gain, but the pressure of changing behaviors could be. People living together tend to eat together, cook bigger meals, and eat out more frequently than when they were single, said Gordon-Larsen. Spouses, she added, can be good influences on each other, as long as, they realize what’s going on. That may be how they avoid packing on the extra pounds. [Telegraph via Impact Lab]